Banbury Constituency Labour Party

Labour Councillors joined a coalition of other political parties and campaign groups in a mass demonstration outside the hospital’s maternity unit on Tuesday (26 July 2016) in a bid to save acute services.

Sean Woodcock, leader of the Labour Group on Cherwell District Council, said, “We are very angry about this threat to the obstetric service at the Horton. Only last week at a meeting in front of district councillors, and the week before at an event open to the general public in Banbury Town Hall, the Trust were saying that any changes to provision at the Horton, including to Maternity, would be made on the basis of improving clinical outcomes first and foremost.

Cllrs Mark Cherry & Surinder Dhesi

Now they are saying that maternity may close, primarily because of a shortage of staff. Well which is it? People in Banbury will rightly feel they have not been given information in good faith.”

In plans unveiled recently by the Hospital Trust a number of services at the Horton Hospital are under threat, including maternity, special care baby unit (SCBU), children’s ward, most trauma/orthopaedic work, medical services and A&E.

Sean Woodcock says, “All of us want to see a Horton hospital that is properly resourced and with the services that users need. We will now continue the work that we have been doing with the other councillors and the community to protect services at the Horton. We have already discussed with local MP Victoria Prentis the idea of another ‘Hands Around Our Horton’ event which she has now organised and which Labour will be fully supporting.”